Marine kills two at Quantico base, takes own life

A Marine shot and killed two fellow Marines then himself at a base in Quantico, Va., early Friday morning. Credit: Cpl. Antwaun Jefferson

An active-duty Marine shot dead two fellow service members at a base at Quantico, Va., then barricaded himself in a building and committed suicide, prompting a brief lockdown of the base, the Marines said Friday.

The shootings took place late Thursday near the Officer Candidate School at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, and all three people who died were identified as Marines, spokesman Sergeant Christopher Zahn said.

Zahn, who is based at Quantico, could give no details as to a motive for the shootings.

"The investigation is in the very early stages," he said.

"An isolated shooting incident has occurred at Officer Candidate School, Quantico," the base separately said on its Facebook page. "The suspect has been barricaded by law enforcement personnel."

The Facebook message told base residents to remain in their homes with their doors locked, until the lockdown was lifted early Friday.

The Marines did not name the service members who died, pending notification of their families. ABC News quoted a military official as saying the suspect had been identified as a staff member at the cadet school, as was one of the victims.

ABC also said the second person killed was a female Marine found dead in the barracks, but gave no further details.

The shooting, which ABC News reported took place in a barracks near the school, came days after seven U.S. Marines were killed in a mortar explosion at an Army munitions depot in Nevada during a live-fire training exercise.

In the Monday incident, a lightweight mortar exploded prematurely in its firing tube, killing the Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., who had been undergoing mountain warfare training, and wounding eight other service members.

It prompted the Marines to order a blanket suspension of the use of 60mm mortars pending a review.